Snowboard, assembly, and training accessory

ABSTRACT

A snowboard, snowboard assembly, and snowboard accessory for converting a snowboard into training snowboard. There is a board and a pivot member/strip. The pivot member/strip is elongated member protruding from the underside of the board along the main axis of the board. The pivot member/strip has a base width that is greater than a width of the flat bottom of the strip and greater than a height of the strip. The flat bottom of the strip is flanked by beveled edges along each side and at the front and back. The strip is either integral to the board or is couple thereto by a coupling structure (e.g. adhesive, binding, snaps, clips). The strip has a trapezoidal cross-section. Flanking beveled edges may have an acute angle with respect to the base and/or an obtuse angle with respect to the flat bottom surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This invention claims priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 120, to the U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/584,521 to Robert L. Kap II filedon 10 Nov. 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to snowboards, specifically to snowboards,snowboard assemblies, and snowboard accessories.

Description of the Related Art

Snowboards are boards that used to glide on snow. They are shaped to belonger than they are wide, but not extremely so, like skis. They areusually about as wide as a person's foot is long, since the bindingsthat couple the foot to the board are positioned so that the foot issideways (orthogonal) to the long axis of the board. Users of suchequipment may be referred to as snowboarders. These types of boards arecommonly used by people at ski hills or resorts for leisure,entertainment, and competitive purposes in the activity calledsnowboarding.

It is difficult to learn how to ride a snowboard as there is a singlecontrol surface/plane that is substantially flat and/or convex thatrides over slippery snow. Generally, it takes several days to becomesomewhat proficient. Falls are common during that period and learnersreport substantial soreness of muscles and bruising as a result.

Additionally, steering a snowboard requires using the edges of thesnowboard as cutting/turning ridges but requires tipping of the planarsurface to accomplish that. Tipping too far or not far enough results infailed turns and/or falls. The differences between tipping too far ornot enough are tiny, especially for novice snowboarders.

Further, there are those who desire to modify the operation of asnowboard or similar recreational/travel device so that it performsdifferently, e.g. handles turns differently. In some cases more speed isdesired, in other cases sharper turning is desired, in still yet othercases increased safety is desired, and etc.

Accordingly, there are systems, devices, and methods for assistingsnowboarders (e.g. training, riding, facilitating particular modes,changing boards for various uses) and for training novice snowboarders.Examples of references related to the present invention are describedbelow in their own words, and the supporting teachings of each referenceare incorporated by reference herein:

U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,960, issued to Safler, discloses a board suitablefor use in descending a snow slope. The board has a generally flatelongate base, a forward portion with an upturned leading edge portion,a user support portion and a rearward portion comprising at least partlyindependently movable left and right support portions extendinggenerally alongside each other rearwardly from said forward portion. Thebase has outer side edges of generally angular cross-sectional shape forbiting into the surface of a snow slope during turning in use of theboard. The side edges are furthermore concavely arcuate, in plan view,so that the board is substantially waisted intermediate its ends so thatthe board can proceed along an arcuate path when one of its side edgesis weighted and the other unweighted.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,760, issued to Remondet, discloses a surfboard forsurfing on snow has an hourglass profile including dimension linescurved inwardly in the runner zone, and wherein bindings each form anangle with a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thesurfboard. Both dimension lines are offset longitudinally with respectto each other and are positioned so that the most curved point of eachdimension line is located on the axis of symmetry of the axes passingthrough the two bindings.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,249, issued to Morris, discloses a snowboard havinga convex bottom with a flat area formed therein to extend from the tailto at least the nose to facilitate balancing of the snowboard andimprove performance when cornering. An improved snowboard illustratesthe convex bottom smoothly tapering into the body 34 at the longitudinalmidpoint to form a flat bottom that then extends to the tip. To provideadditional control and stability, a keel extends from the flat bottom adistance no further than the convex bottom and having a width between 2%and 4% of the width of the body.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,908, issued to Sankrithi, discloses recreationalequipment for use on a sliding surface, such as skis, snowboards, orother equipment for use by a person such as a skier, snowboarder orwater-skier. This invention provides a pogo-ski comprising a ski and apost thereon which is fitted with foot supports and a handhold suitablefor use by a standing user.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: 20020063404, by Lafond,discloses a modified snowboard that includes a multi-position bindingsystem having at least two preset positions, including a first positionwhere the user is able to control the snowboard under conventional use,and a second position where the user is able to rotate the bindingsystems to extend a guide blade through a slot from a recessed positionwithin the core of the board. The blade when in use projects from thebottom surface to provide guide means to aid the user in controlling thedirection of the snowboard during forward movement. A retractable guideblade for snowboards is also disclosed.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: 20110233900, by Huard,discloses a system including first elongate blade and a second elongateblade. The second elongate blade is substantially in superposition withreference to the first blade. The first and the second blades areaffixed together at one end. The system includes a user-actuatedmechanism is connected at least to the second blade. The mechanism isselectively operable by a user of the snow-riding device tolongitudinally reposition at least a portion of the second blade withreference to the first blade. This longitudinal repositioning modifiesthe efficient length ratio between the two blades and thereby the camberof the system. The system is self-contained and once integrated to thesnow-riding device, the system permits a selective camber adjustment ofat least a portion of the snow-riding device upon modifying the camberof the system.

The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantageswhich include but are not limited to: being difficult to use/install,not teaching how to turn on the edge of a snowboard, not changing how asnowboard operates, failing to act as a training tool, being difficultto install, not able to be used with any snowboard, being limited tofunctioning only with particular snowboard types/brands, being tooheavy, and being too complicated.

What is needed is a snowboard, snowboard assembly, and/or a snowboardaccessory that solves one or more of the problems described hereinand/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of oneskilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in response to the presentstate of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems andneeds in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currentlyavailable snowboard assemblies and/or snowboard accessories.Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide asnowboard, snowboard assembly, and/or a snowboard accessory.

There may be a snowboard, snowboard assembly, and/or a snowboardaccessory that may include one or more of a board and/or a pivot memberand/or a strip.

The board may have an underside and/or a main axis that extends alongthe longest length of the board.

The pivot member/strip may be being an elongated member protruding fromthe underside of the board and/or extending along the main axis of theboard. The pivot member/strip may include one or more of a length whichmay be a longest distance between two ends of the pivot member, a heightwhich may be a greatest orthogonal distance from the underside of theboard to an underside of the pivot member, a base which may be at thecoupling between the pivot member and the board including a base widthwhich may be a greatest distance between two opposite edges of the pivotmember orthogonal to each of the length and height. It may be that thebase width is greater than the height.

The pivot member/strip may also include a flat bottom surface having abottom width which may be a distance between opposite side-to-side edgesof the flat bottom surface of the pivot member. It may be that thebottom width is less than the base width. The pivot member/strip mayalso include a pair of flanking beveled edges coupling the flat bottomsurface to the base. Flanking beveled edges may have an acute angle withrespect to the base and/or an obtuse angle with respect to the flatbottom surface.

It may be that a front and/or rear and/or side of the pivot member/stripare beveled. It may be that the pivot member/strip extends along thelongest length of the snowboard. It may be that the pivot member/striphas a trapezoidal cross-section. It may be that the trapezoidalcross-section includes a pair of rounded corners. It may be that thebottom width is greater than the height.

In another non-limiting embodiment, there may be a snowboard assembly,including one or more of a board having an underside and a main axisextending from front-to-back of the board; and a pivot member coupled tothe underside of the board along a middle portion from side-to-sidethereof and aligned with the main axis of the board, the pivot memberincluding one or more of a coupling structure coupling the pivot memberto the board; and a strip coupled to the coupling structure, the striphaving a base and a bottom surface opposite the base, wherein the baseis wider than the bottom surface and the bottom surface is flat.

It may be that the bottom surface is wider than a longest distancebetween the base and the bottom surface. It may be that the couplingstructure is selected from the group of coupling structures consistingof: an adhesive layer, screws, bolts, rivets, snaps, clips,tongue-and-groove, latches, and bindings. It may be that the couplingstructure is selectably couplable and non-destructably detachable fromthe board. It may be that the strip does not have a uniform height fromfront-to-back. It may be that the strip extends less than a full lengthof the board. It may be that the base extends a full width of the boardat least at one region thereof.

In still yet another non-limiting embodiment, there may be a snowboardaccessory for converting a snowboard into a training snowboard,including one or more of a coupling structure that couples to anunderside of a snowboard; and a strip coupled to the coupling structure,the strip having a base and a bottom surface opposite the base, whereinthe base is wider than the bottom surface and the bottom surface isflat. It may be that the strip has a trapezoidal cross-section withrounded bottom corners. It may be that the coupling structure is anadhesive layer and/or a binding. It may be that the strip does not havea uniform height from front-to-back. It may be that the strip is beveledboth side-to-side and front-to-back.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, orsimilar language does not imply that all of the features and advantagesthat may be realized with the present invention should be or are in anysingle embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to thefeatures and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature,advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language,throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to thesame embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics ofthe invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that theinvention can be practiced without one or more of the specific featuresor advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additionalfeatures and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments thatmay not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

These features and advantages of the present invention will become morefully apparent from the following description and appended claims, ormay be learned by the practice of the invention as set forthhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, amore particular description of the invention briefly described abovewill be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that areillustrated in the appended drawing(s). It is noted that the drawings ofthe invention are not to scale. The drawings are mere schematicsrepresentations, not intended to portray specific parameters of theinvention. Understanding that these drawing(s) depict only typicalembodiments of the invention and are not, therefore, to be considered tobe limiting its scope, the invention will be described and explainedwith additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawing(s), in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a snowboard accessory, according toone embodiments of the invention:

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a snowboard accessory, according toone embodiments of the invention;

FIGS. 3-5 are cross-sectional views of the snowboard accessory of FIG.2, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom-perspective photograph of carve tape coupled to anunderside of a snowboard, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7-9 show a plurality of cross-sectional views of variousembodiments of snowboard assemblies, according to various embodiments ofthe invention;

FIGS. 10-12 show a plurality of elevational side views of variousembodiment of snowboard assemblies, according to various embodiments ofthe invention;

FIG. 13 is a bottom-perspective view of a snowboard assembly, accordingto one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 14 is a bottom-perspective view of a snowboard assembly, accordingto one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodimentsillustrated in the drawing(s), and specific language will be used todescribe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitationof the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations andfurther modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, andany additional applications of the principles of the invention asillustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant artand having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered withinthe scope of the invention.

Reference throughout this specification to an “embodiment,” an “example”or similar language means that a particular feature, structure,characteristic, or combinations thereof described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the presentinvention. Thus, appearances of the phrases an “embodiment,” an“example,” and similar language throughout this specification may, butdo not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, to differentembodiments, or to one or more of the figures. Additionally, referenceto the wording “embodiment,” “example” or the like, for two or morefeatures, elements, etc. does not mean that the features are necessarilyrelated, dissimilar, the same, etc.

Each statement of an embodiment, or example, is to be consideredindependent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use ofsimilar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore,where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” theidentified embodiment is independent of any other embodimentscharacterized by the language “another embodiment.” The features,functions, and the like described herein are considered to be able to becombined in whole or in part one with another as the claims and/or artmay direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly.

As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “is,” “are,”“characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive oropen-ended terms that do not exclude additional unrecited elements ormethod steps. “Comprising” is to be interpreted as including the morerestrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”

Snowboards come in several different styles, depending on the type ofriding intended:

Freestyle: Generally shorter with moderate to soft flex. Freestyleboards are typically twin-tip in shape (mirror image along the lateralaxis) to enable riding both ways. Incorporates a deep sidecut forquick/tight turning. Used in the pipe and in the park on various jumpsand terrain features including boxes, rails, and urban features

Park/Jib (rails): Flexible and short to medium length, twin-tip shapewith a twin flex and an outward stance to allow easy switch riding, andeasy spinning, a wider stance, with the edges filed dull is used forskateboard-park like snowboard parks.

Freeride: Longer than freestyle and park boards. Moderate to stiff inflex and typically directional (versus twin-tip). Used from all-mountainto off-piste and backcountry riding, to ‘extreme’ big-mountaindescents—in various types of snow from groomed hard-packed snow to softpowdery snow.

Powder: Highly directional boards that typically have a rockered noseand tapered shape (wider tip than tail).

All-Mountain: Most common. A mix between freeride and freestyle boards.The ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ Commonly directional ordirectional twin in shape (twin-tip and centered stance but with moreflex on the front)

Racing/Alpine: Long, narrow, rigid, and directional shape. Used forslalom and giant slalom races, these boards are designed to excel ongroomed slopes. Most often ridden with a “hard” plastic snowboard boot(similar to a ski boot), but also ridden recreationally with soft boots,particularly by riders in Europe.

Splitboard: A snowboard which splits in half lengthwise, and allows thebindings to be quickly connected to hinges aligning them longitudinallyon the board, allowing the halves of the boards to function as crosscountry skis. Used with removable skins on the base of the board, whicheasily slide forward on snow but not backwards, they allow a snowboardto easily travel into the backcountry. Once the rider is ready todescend, the board halves can simply be joined back together.

Dual snowboards: two boards, one at each foot. An innovation whichallows one to walk on the pistes and perform new tricks.

Learning how to ride a snowboard is substantially more difficult thanlearning to ski. It is harder to remain upright, as you are resting on asingle touch point, and it is harder to turn, as all parts of your bodycome into play with proper turning. The following is an example ofinstruction given to snowboarders in regards to making turns:

To turn on a snowboard, you need to think about the following: yourhead, shoulders, hips, knees and feet. Each of the steps below, containa specific technique of movements for that exact body part mentioned.

On a snowboard, people usually forget how important the head is. Typicalmistakes are looking at the board or straight down the valley. To keeporientation and avoid surprises while riding your snowboard: keep yourhead up, look in your riding direction, and spot and plan your nextturn.

When initiating turns on your snowboard, always start with turning yourhead first and look in the direction you want to go. Do this even beforeyou start turning your snowboard. The shoulders and the snowboard workclosely together and follow each other when you are riding. When turningyour head and shoulders, the snowboard will automatically follow yourhead and shoulder rotation. Essentially, your head and shoulders are thesteering wheel. To improve your turns with correct movements of theshoulders, you should: turn your head and shoulders in the direction youwant to ride, then, use your core muscles to turn the snowboard underyou, and control the speed of your turns with the speed you turn yourshoulders.

While rotating your head and shoulders in your turns, your hips willalso start to turn. To test this and practice the motions: Place yourhands on your hips, make some smooth turns and feel how your hips areworking, You don't want your hips to go back and forth, so keep the hipsover the center of the board, moving in rotational motions

When you start using your knees to turn on your snowboard, you canreally start to advance your riding. Taking the motions from the head,shoulders and hips and moving them further down through the body, youcan initiate your turn and get on your edge much earlier. This will helpyou control your speed and direction, which is especially good forriding steep slopes. The easiest way to get the knees turning is to:while riding heelside, turn your knees towards the nose of thesnowboard, or when riding toeside, turn your knees towards the tail ofthe snowboard

The movement of the feet makes a huge impact on your riding, as the feetare directly mounted to the snowboard. Practice paddling your feet whileturning on your snowboard. Think about initiating the turn with pressureon the front foot and finishing with pressure on the back foot. When youare turning toeside, start with pressure on your front foot toes, andend the turn on your backfoot toes. When you are turning heelside, startwith pressure on the front foot heels and end the turn on your backfootheels.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrates side elevational views of a pair of differentsnowboard accessories, according to two embodiments of the invention.Each figure shows a pivot member 20 (aka carve tape or tape) havingbeveled front and rear regions (front 21, rear 25, front bevel 26 and34, rear bevel 28) and a thicker (height) middle region that does nothave a consistent/uniform height through the length thereof (i.e. itgets progressively thicker in height from left to right in theillustrated figure (front-to-back of the carve tape) until it reachesthe right end (front of the carve tape) where the front bevel 26 and 34reduces the height sharply). Each tape includes a coupling structure 24(an adhesive layer) and 32 (an array of fasteners (e.g. screws)) coupledto a strip 22 and 30. The coupling structure couples to an underside ofa snowboard to convert that snowboard into a training snowboard.

The illustrated carve tapes are slightly thicker towards a front middleregion as compared to a rear middle region, but in various embodimentsthey may be the same thickness or thinner/thicker than shown. While theterm “carve tape” is used throughout, such term does not limit thestructure of the carve tape to a flexible substrate. The pivot member ofa particular carve tape may be rigid or flexible. It may bestraight/flat and/or include curved regions. There may be regionsthereof that are rigid and regions that are flexible. In onenon-limiting example, a middle region is more rigid and less flexiblethan front and rear regions, which may be bent to mate up with curvatureof a snowboard. Such difference in rigidity may come merely from reducedthickness or may come from being composed of different materials and/orlayers of materials.

In one non-limiting embodiment, there is a pivot member having acoupling structure for coupling to an undersurface of a snowboard. Thepivot member is an elongated structure that extends the full length ofthe snowboard when coupled thereto. There is a flat region along thelength thereof. The flat region provides a stable position for the boardwhere it is not tipped to either side, but when the board is tipped, itamplifies the “cut” that the board makes in the snow, this aiding in twothings: 1) the turning power of the board while tipped, and 2) the feelof that turning power and therefore increasing the impression andlearning of the user with respect to how to turn and why to tip whenturning. The pivot member is wider than it is thick/deep so that thiseffect is amplified.

In one non-limiting embodiment, there is a snowboard accessory thathelps a beginning snowboarder learn how to snowboard quicker with lessfear. Such may help to know how to turn both right and left also whilereducing their overall speed. There may be a center piece of material(e.g. rubber) used to create a pivot on a snowboard that is attached(e.g. with an adhesive and/or a screw). It may be disposed along thecenter of a snowboard to create that pivot point/ridge. It may be amolded piece that is attached to a snowboard. Alternatively, it may bemolded with the snowboard when it is being formed.

It may be that the center strip is wider than it is tall and/or extendsthe full flat under-surface of the board. The strip may have a beveledfront and back. A region between the bevels may have a roundedrectangular cross-section corners on the corners away from the board.The strip may be about 1.5 inches wide and/or about 0.5 inchesdeep/thick. It may be between about 2.5 inches wide and 1 inch wide. Itmay be between about 0.25 inches and 0.75 inches deep/thick. The stripmay have rounded corners that leave a flat middle region so that whenyou pivot then the strip bites differently.

In one nonlimiting embodiment, there is a strip/pivot member having arectangular cross-section in the middle region thereof and a circularsegment (sector bounded by a cord) cross-section at front and backregions thereof. Other cross-sectional shapes may be present in variousembodiments, including but not limited to elliptical, ellipticalsegments, triangular, trapezoidal, and the like and combinationsthereof.

In one non-limiting embodiment, there is a strip/pivot member that iscomposed of one or more material types and/or configurations includingbut not limited to: rubbers, plastics, woods, metals, ceramics,composites, woven materials, pressed materials, molded materials, castmaterials, natural and/or artificial fibers, and the like and compositesthereof.

In one non-limiting embodiment, there is a strip/pivot member having abottom surface composed of a material and/or having a configuration thatslows the rider down as compared to the bottom surface of the snowboard.Such may include materials and/or structures having higher frictionalcoefficients than waxed wood. Such may include ridges, grooves,channels, and the like that may be oriented substantially orthogonal tothe line of travel of the snowboard while in operation. Such may simplyoccur because of the fact that the strip/pivot member interrupts thenormal flat undersurface of the board.

In one non-limiting embodiment, there is a coupling structure such asbut not limited to: adhesive, epoxy, welding, clips, snaps,tongue-and-groove, friction-fittings, bolts, buckles, ties, buttons,cables, hook-an-eye fasteners, nails, pegs, nuts, pins, retaining rings,rivets, bands, staples, stitches, straps, anchors, zippers, flanges,frogs, grommets, clasps, clamps, and the like and combinations thereof.

FIGS. 3-5 are cross-sectional views of rear, middle, and front portions,respectively of the snowboard accessory of FIG. 2, according to oneembodiment of the invention. There is a pivot member 30 having a thinbeveled rear portion 36 with an angled surface 38 that is thinner than amiddle portion shown in FIG. 4. The middle portion in FIG. 4 is thickerthan a front beveled portion shown in FIG. 5. The illustrated figuresshow rounded trapezoidal cross-sections, as the flat bottom surfaces ofeach portion are flanked by beveled sides that are not orthogonal to thebase (dotted lines show the horizontal base axis and a correspondingvertical axis orthogonal thereto that is not colinear with the flankingbeveled edges on each side of the strip 40 and 50. Thus the illustratedstrip of FIGS. 2-5 is beveled both side-to-side and front-to-back.

The illustrated cross-sectional views show that the material thereof isthicker (top to bottom measurement) in the middle and tapered to varyingdegrees at the front and back. Further, these views show that thebottom-most part of each is flat, flanked by curved ends. Additionally,the views illustrate that the pivot member is wider than it is thick, ineach view.

FIGS. 6, 13 and 14 are bottom-perspective views of various snowboardassemblies, according to various embodiments of the invention. In each,the coupling member for the carve tape may be a double-sided adhesivetape disposed between the pivot member and the board. The illustratedboards have carved tape that extends most of the length of the board,but not all of the length of the board. The illustrated carve tapeextends to about the region of the front and back of each board wherethe board curves upward. The illustrated carve tape is positioned to bebelow each of the bindings of the board and therebetween. Theillustrated carve tape extends along a main axis of the associated boardand is centrally located along the underside thereof.

FIGS. 7-9 show a plurality of cross-sectional views of variousembodiments of snowboard assemblies, according to various embodiments ofthe invention. In each is shown a board 70 coupled to a pivot member 72,74, 76, respectively, wherein each pivot member has a differently shapedcross-section. Pivot member 72 is pill-shaped with a flat bottom surfacethat is slightly smaller than its base (the base is the flat surfaceadjacent to the board) and has rounded corners. Pivot member 74 is anisosceles trapezoid and has a larger base with respect to the board thanthe pill-shaped pivot member 72. Pivot member 76 is also an isoscelestrapezoid but its base extends the entire side-to-side width of theboard.

Each of the various illustrated pivot members provides for a differenthandling when turning and a different “bite” into the snow. It may bethat the smaller pivot members provide a larger bite, and thus more helpfor novice snowboarders.

Accordingly, it may be that pivot member 72 is for beginners, pivotmember 74 is for more advanced beginners, and pivot member 76 is fornovices that are about to transition to not using a pivot member at allwith their board.

The illustrated pivot members may be integral to the board 70, may becoupled thereto by a coupling that is selectably coupleable (i.e. onemay choose to couple the structures together with a coupling structuresuch as but not limited to an adhesive layer), may be nondestructablydetachable (i.e. removable without damaging the associated structures,such as but not limited to with selectably decouplable snaps, clips,bindings, contact adhesives). Where a progression of pivot members isused in training, it will be useful to have pivot members that can beremoved from a board without damaging the board and/or without damagingthe pivot member. Thereby the board and/or pivot members are reusable.

The height of each pivot member may be measured from the base to theflat bottom surface, i.e. a distance going orthogonal from an undersideof the board to the flat bottom of the pivot member/strip. The basewidth may be measured as a greatest distance between two opposite edgesof the pivot member orthogonal to each of the length and height. Theflat-bottom width may be a distance between opposite side-to-side edgesof the flat bottom surface of the pivot member.

FIGS. 10-12 show a plurality of elevational side views of variousembodiment of snowboard assemblies, according to various embodiments ofthe invention. There is shown a plurality of snowboard assemblies, eachwith boot bindings 81 coupled to a board 80, but with diversestrips/pivot members 82, 84, and 86 coupled thereto. Pivot member 82extends a full length (front-to-back) of the board 80 and is not beveledon the front and back. Pivot member 84 is beveled on the front and backand extends the entire horizontal length of the board. Pivot member 86is beveled on the front and back and extends only partially along thelength of the board, but extends slightly beyond where the bindings areattached.

It is understood that the above-described embodiments are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentinvention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Thedescribed embodiment is to be considered in all respects only asillustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is,therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

For example, although the

Additionally, although the figures illustrate

It is also envisioned that

It is expected that there could be numerous variations of the design ofthis invention. An example is that the

Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the device may beconstructed of a variety of materials,

Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above withparticularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed tobe the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerousmodifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size,materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly anduse may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts ofthe invention as set forth in the claims. Further, it is contemplatedthat an embodiment may be limited to consist of or to consistessentially of one or more of the features, functions, structures,methods described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A snowboard, comprising: a. a board having anunderside and a main axis that extends along the longest length of theboard; and b. a pivot member, being an elongated member protruding fromthe underside of the board and extending along the main axis of theboard, wherein the pivot member includes: i. a length which is a longestdistance between two ends of the pivot member, ii. a height which is agreatest orthogonal distance from the underside of the board to anunderside of the pivot member, iii. a base at the coupling between thepivot member and the board including a base width which is a greatestdistance between two opposite edges of the pivot member orthogonal toeach of the length and height, wherein the base width is greater thanthe height, iv. a flat bottom surface having a bottom width which is adistance between opposite side-to-side edges of the flat bottom surfaceof the pivot member, wherein the bottom width is less than the basewidth; and v. a pair of flanking beveled edges coupling the flat bottomsurface to the base, the flanking beveled edges having an acute anglewith respect to the base and an obtuse angle with respect to the flatbottom surface.
 2. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein a front and rear ofthe pivot member are beveled.
 3. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein thepivot member extends along the longest length of the snowboard.
 4. Thesnowboard of claim 1, wherein the pivot member has a trapezoidalcross-section.
 5. The snowboard of claim 4, wherein the trapezoidalcross-section includes a pair of rounded corners.
 6. The snowboard ofclaim 1, wherein the bottom width is greater than the height.
 7. Asnowboard assembly, comprising: a. a board having an underside and amain axis extending from front-to-back of the board; and b. a pivotmember coupled to the underside of the board along a middle portion fromside-to-side thereof and aligned with the main axis of the board, thepivot member including: i. a coupling structure coupling the pivotmember to the board; and ii. a strip coupled to the coupling structure,the strip having a base and a bottom surface opposite the base, whereinthe base is wider than the bottom surface and the bottom surface isflat.
 8. The snowboard assembly of claim 7, wherein the bottom surfaceis wider than a longest distance between the base and the bottomsurface.
 9. The snowboard assembly of claim 7, wherein the couplingstructure is selected from the group of coupling structures consistingof: an adhesive layer, screws, bolts, rivets, snaps, clips,tongue-and-groove, latches, and bindings.
 10. The snowboard assembly ofclaim 7, wherein the coupling structure is selectably couplable andnon-destructably detachable from the board.
 11. The snowboard assemblyof claim 7, wherein the strip has a trapezoidal cross-section.
 12. Thesnowboard assembly of claim 7, wherein the strip does not have a uniformheight from front-to-back.
 13. The snowboard assembly of claim 7,wherein the strip extends less than a full length of the board.
 14. Thesnowboard assembly of claim 7, wherein the base extends a full width ofthe board at least at one region thereof.
 15. A snowboard accessory forconverting a snowboard into a training snowboard, consisting of: a. acoupling structure that couples to an underside of a snowboard; and b. astrip coupled to the coupling structure, the strip having a base and abottom surface opposite the base, wherein the base is wider than thebottom surface and the bottom surface is flat.
 16. The snowboardaccessory of claim 15, wherein the strip has a trapezoidal cross-sectionwith rounded bottom corners.
 17. The snowboard accessory of claim 15,wherein the coupling structure is an adhesive layer.
 18. The snowboardaccessory of claim 15, wherein the coupling structure is a binding. 19.The snowboard accessory of claim 15, wherein the strip does not have auniform height from front-to-back.
 20. The snowboard accessory of claim15, wherein the strip is beveled both side-to-side and front-to-back.